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Utah’s new NHL team makes beer sales history in its first game
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Utah’s new NHL team makes beer sales history in its first game

The NHL’s experiment in Utah is off to an encouraging start.

Not only did the Utah Hockey Club begin its tenure in Salt Lake City with a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night, but the NHL’s newest fan base arrived at the season opener with an appetite for hockey. And yes, good times.

According to The Salt Lake TribuneDelta Center sold a record number of drinks, with beer sales increasing by more than $120,000 – more than any previous NBA or NHL event at the venue, which has been home to the Utah Jazz since 1991.

The beer prices weren’t cheap either. A Michelob Ultra, which cost $13 the night before during the Jazz’s preseason, sold for $15 for the NHL debut at the arena.

The Utah Hockey Club is technically an expansion team, although it acquired the hockey assets of the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes, who will cease operations after the 2023-2024 season. The franchise will be known as the Utah Hockey Club this season before undergoing a rebranding and a new team nickname heading into next season.

The Utah Hockey Club returns to the ice on Thursday for a road tilt against the New York Islanders, kicking off a four-game trip away from Delta Center. Utah fans will get another chance to break the beer sales record when the team returns to home ice for a game against the Boston Bruins on October 19.